Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-12-18
SAN ANTONIO's SUNDAY Law.
Personal Liberty Not to Il Infringed Cpei
ANY Day In the Week.

SAN ANTONIO. TEX Dec. IA. 1851.
To the L iitor Of the Gazette.
You have given Us in late number OF
your able and Influential paper severe
csstigstlop, and we are smarting under
the blows SO vigorously laid on. Could
some of US San Antonians have been your
mentor or smannensis while that editorial
was in preparation we should have said
long ere it was finished, Hold, hold,
enough, spare US further pain, but the
mischief is done, and we have only to
submit meekly and take the consequences,
though under protest.
You headed your article Law Against
Anarchy, and thus pile accusation upon
accusation, making up fearful indlct-
ment and exposing as to the world IS
sinners above all Others, and all this for
the offense of asserting our belief in and
our right to the practice ofipersonal lioer-
ty. We admit that the counts in the ill.,
dictment are sll true as to our infiex'ble
hostility to the obnoxious Sunday law,
the determination of our saloon keepers
not to obey it, the great preponderance Of
public sentiment in our city against its
enforcement, the readiness of our juries
to resolve themselves into court
OF judicial experts, and where violators Of
that law are tried before them, their
guilt proven and admitted by themselves
promptly render verdict Of not guilty,
and still further, under the wise ruling of
the magistrate, proceed to relieve the
higher courts of the onerous duty of ex-
aiming into its constitutionality by de-
claring it unconstitutional. SEillfurther,
we have an ably conducted trio of city
newspapers that stand as q bulwsrk of
defense for the violstors of the law, treat
ing with contempt the law itself and the
authority that attempts it's enforcement.
This may look to outsiders somewhat
like teaching and prac' icing insubordI-
nation, and anarchy perhaps. We ZEE
that you and others in and out of the state
take that view Of 1t. The character of
Texas as law and order state stands
with many st q lower figure than is 6eeir-
able already, and we regret that TIE GA
ZETTE should increase the volume OF dis
trust by citing San Antonio, with ell her
Intelligence, wealth and enterprise, IS an
example of laWlessness and insubordins.
ton. We only meant by our acts, as
admitted above, to emphasize our deter
mined opposition to 8 law that don't suit
us, and to let the world know we will not
obey it, Ought you 20 say that smacks of
anarchy? Il is only our Interpretation of
independence and personal liberty.
Consider q moment the interests we
have at stake, and you may not be so
severe on US. We have, ss shown by our
records. over 10000 population. We
have ninety -tive whisky saloons, sixty
beer saloons, five retail liquor stores, six
wholesale liquor dealers, FIVE breweries
and two brewery agencies. All these
Institutions It quire the Investment of o
large amount of our capital, SID yield US
splendid returns. By keeping open on
Sunday cur lessees can pay US more rent.
Our citizens can worship where and as
they please-at the shrine of Bscchus or
Gambrinua, or elsewhere. The city con-
tsins thirty-one evangelical churches, end
the fact that they ell have only 1900 COM
devotiIg only one full day in
seven to their work, while We run the
whole seven with special services and
crowded houses on Sunday, only shows
the greater popularity Of saloon worship
over theirs.
The Young Mems Christian Association
experience slight compunctions on
Sunday sometimes as the people are
gathering at their hall for worship, but
their location is between two Of our best
saloons, and while our hilarious and
highly spiritual worship on Sunday can.
not be suspended for them, they may, if
they can, drown our songs with theirs
and both Re joice IN the exercise OF our
personal liberty. Preposterous thst our
lawmakers should attempt TO suppress
Us and not them.
We have lately organized citizens
association and are trying to say and do
what will most efectusly boom our
beautiful city and attract the greatest
amount Of capital and immigration. Your
article hurts Us, we fear. Cannot you
say something to neutralize it and tone
down its rugged edge? We notice that
very influential religious weekly, the
Texas Christian Advocate at Dallss, has
copied and sent it in full to it's 90 900
readers. Others will likely do the same,
and thus counterfeit largely the influence
Of our association. Please atone, IS far
as consistent, for the injury you have |
done struggling sister city. We have |
8 splendid winter climate, superior to |
Florida or California as ssnltarium or
winter resort for the healthy, and we
want our northern and eastern friends |
to come on and be OF us with their |
families, their money and their |
and we will give them . cor
dial welcome, bat they may leave behind !
them their strict, law abiding notions, so
lar as the closing OF our l55 saloons on |
Sunday is concerned, for though the At |
rerney General has been down here in |
vestigating us, we cannot consent to have |
our personal liberty abridged, and do not |
intend to close our saloons on Sunday, as |
1 saloon keeper is said to have remarked, |
III all the Hogs in Texas get after US"
The law don't suit US, and we |
mean to disregard it, in the spirit of |
Andrew Jackson in his contest with the |
Did United States bank when he vetoed it |
md said: 81 have my foot on the neck of |
he monster, and I'll crush it." Still we |
1on't like to have you publish Us as an
srchists, Mr.. Editor; we don't mean that. |
True, our course may seem to be tine |
.ured strongly with that exotic, but our |
situation is somewhat unique. We have |
! cosmopolitan population, the foreign |
element largely predominating. They |
nave come to US from various countries1
md climes, bringing with them their in |
lerited and life long .bibulous habits. |
md their free and easy. on-religious, nop-
ourltaaical way of spending Sunday. II |
hey are wrong Ia sill this, we are no. re-
'ponsible, and though we have good |
churches and able Christian ministers as